I Love You
by achillesheel02
Summary: Just a one-shot, eh, in two chapters two-shot? of when Percy tells Annabeth that he loves her.
1. Chapter 1

**Imagine a world where everything was okay from the start. Meaning Luke was there and he didn't betray the others. But, Percy and Annabeth are together somehow. Luke and Percy are close friends they even refer to each other as brothers. This is a one-shot in, um, two chapters because I did not expect it to be so long.**

Percy strolled to the Hermes cabin and saw Luke arranging his stuff.

"Cleaning?"

"The house is a mess Percy. Have you seen the surface buildup? There's mould growing on mould." He said and threw some books in a black paper bag.

"It's never bothered you before." He said and looked at the floor, surprised it was actually spotless. Luke picked up a rag and started rubbing some brown substance off the wall.

"I actually came to get your advice on something. I think I'm ready to use the L word with Annabeth." He said smiling nervously.

Luke stopped rubbing and turned to me, "That's a pretty bold move. What makes you think she's a lesbian?"

"Not that L word. I want to tell her I love her."

Luke sighed, "Look, if you need to say 'I love you', call your mom." He said and continued rubbing. Percy put on a sad face. Then Luke sighed again and said, "Alright, just sit back and relax. You don't have to ruin everything by making serious and…mushy."

Percy exhaled, "You're wrong. I need to make a move. Standing still is the worst thing I can do."

Luke stopped rubbing and turned to him, seriously, "You are defying the master? Be careful Percy, you remember what happened to Anakin."

"I'm ready."

"You've only been dating for three weeks now."

"I just want my big bro to be happy for me."

"Well, I'm worried. Does that count?" he said and trudged to the kitchen with the really dirty rag.

~O~

There's nothing more romantic than a Mexican restaurant, right? That's what Percy thought. Annabeth arrived looking exquisite in a yellow skirt, white tank top and a black jumper. They took their seats and the Mexican choir guys played their trumpets and banjos. Or bass guitars? Percy didn't care. He was having a bad time making it to the L topic.

"Annabeth, I love…" she looked at him expectantly, "…chimichangas."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. I continued, "Have you ever noticed almost every dish is made from the same three ingredients: meat, cheese and tortillas."

Annabeth smiled awkwardly, "I know, right? It's in burritos, tacos, even enchiladas. Obviously, Grover would never let us forget that."

I chuckled, _Plan A went pretty badly… _"Did you do something with your hair?"

She patted it defensively, "No, why?"

"Well, I really love…" _you, _"it."

"Thanks." Annabeth decided to drive the conversation. "Anyway, so last week Chiron allowed me to tour some of the architectural landmarks along the West Coast…" I wasn't listening that much.

When she looked at me she was laughing, and I played along, "That's crazy," I said laughing too.

She continued, "And I was even given a chance to meet…"

_Argh, it's either now or never…_

"I love you."

I said it loudly. Of course, since karma was not on my side, the Mexican choir guys had stopped playing at the exact time, so everyone heard it loud and clear.

Everyone turned to look at us. Annabeth bit her lower lip and narrowed her eyes. It looked like she was wondering what to say. I just hoped that she wouldn't say what she had actually said.

"Thank you."

Now the Mexican choir guys saw it fit to continue.

Annabeth sipped on her drink nervously.

~O~

He found Luke scrubbing the underside of a bench (with a toothbrush) outside the cabin. Percy sat on the bench.

"So my dinner with Annabeth was a disaster."

Luke got up and sat on the bench. "I'm not gonna say I told you so. But you completely screwed up by not taking my advice, didn't you?"

Percy sighed, "You were right. It was horrible. I said it, and she thanked me. I mean, you say 'You're welcome' to something like that? And we just sat there, for the next hour, eating dinner. In completely awkward silence."

Luke struggled for words. "Well, at least she's polite. Maybe it'll just blow over and she won't even notice." He said and knelt down to finish his job.

"Maybe I just need s break from girls for a while…"

Luke beamed, "Good. There's this pub that Travis and Connor set up outside camp. Although the Athena cabin took control because of some scandal…but it's totally safe and they don't sell beer, just normal drinks_. If_ you can trust me,"

Percy put on a serious face, "I will never doubt you again."

"Then it's off to," he stood up and turned to me dramatically pointing the toothbrush at me, "the Sleeping Hogs."

Connor passed by and Luke called him, "Here's your toothbrush."


	2. Chapter 2

~O~

"Annabeth, what's wrong?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong?"

Thalia grabbed the bow from Annabeth, "You almost shot me in the butt with an arrow. Sit." They sat on a boulder next to the shooting range.

"Okay, I'm just a little preoccupied." Thalia stared expectantly, "Percy said 'I love you.'"

Thalia tried not to smile, "After three weeks? What did you say?"

Annabeth cupped her face, "'Thank you.'"

Thalia tried to empathize, "At least, you were polite. You don't feel the same way?"

She sighed, "I don't know. He just kinda took me by surprise…"

Thalia was not so good at giving relationship advice, so she said, "Come on, we need to practice for today's Capture the Flag. I'm in your team, remember. It'll take your mind off Percy."

"I guess."

~O~

Percy thought the drinks being served at the Sleeping Hogs were spiked, because Luke looked drunk.

Some boring karaoke music was playing. They were both sitting on comfy couches. Luke leaned against his shoulder.

"Percy, what possessed you from taking my advice?"

"I thought if I didn't take control of the relationship and keep it moving forward, then I lose her."

"Well, guess what? Relationships suck." He said and fell on Percy's lap. Percy thought that what Luke said was more personal in a way.

A few hours later, Percy got bored and woke Luke up. "I hope you're paying for the drinks. We have to get back."

"Why? We are home. You're still hung up on Annabeth?" Percy sighed but Luke continued, "You know I had this minx once. She was the fairest of all the creatures. Then I let her get away. Bad Luke, bad Luke," he said, slapping himself.

Percy sighed, disappointed, "All this and the cleaning now is about a girl?"

Luke tried to stand then fell back on the couch.

Malcolm, of all people, came to us, "I hope for your sake, that you have the money to pay for the drinks." He was a waiter. The more I stayed there the more I wondered how I had not discovered the place earlier.

Luke was practically dead. I only had one drachma. Who to call? Nico? He was too far away to arrive early. Grover? He was on this quest for Chiron. Annabeth? Too awkward. Everyone else I knew would be starting Capture the Flag. But Thalia liked being fashionably late for that so maybe she was free.

Percy turned to Malcolm, "I don't suppose you have a spare rainbow?"

~O~

Thalia arrived twenty minute later. "You owe me kelp head." Percy carried Luke. Thalia raised an eyebrow.

"Your girlfriend doesn't say 'I love you' after three weeks and you end up at the Sleeping Hogs looking tipsy?"

"I didn't even drink a thing. She told you?"

"I am her best friend. We tell each other everything. What happened to him?" she said nodding at a passed out Luke.

"I think some girl dumped him or something." He replied. Thalia looked away, pursing her lips. Percy tried to pretend that he didn't notice.

As they were walking back to camp, Thalia blurted out, "Luke and I may have revisited our history recently. It kind of escalated."

"Escalated how?"

"We kissed. It's nothing; it was a big stupid lapse of judgment."

Percy sighed, "You're his minx. I thought it was over between you guys?"

"Just because it's over doesn't mean all the feelings were gone…"

Percy remembered what had happened. Luke had told him a few days ago that he told Thalia how he felt about her. "So you've been dancing around for two years and when he finally tells you how he feels about you, you shun him?"

Thalia didn't answer.

"You led him on, Thalia. He probably thought all he had to do was make his move and when he finally opened up and said something monumental, you broke his heart." He said, talking more about him and Annabeth.

"We weren't made for each other and he knows it. And either way, Artemis offered me the position of general of Hunters. We wouldn't have worked out."

"What about love? Do you love him?"

"It's complicated Percy."

After that there was silence all the way.

~O~

It turned out ambrosias do cure hangovers. In a few minutes, Luke was almost ready. He was supposed to lead in Capture the Flag, which was going to happen in half an hour.

"Thalia told me." I was sitting beside him in his room.

"Huh?"

"She bailed us out when we couldn't pay and took us home. She told me. About you two."

Luke sat down, chin on his palm, "But you were right Percy. I was wrong."

"What about?"

"Saying the L word."

He sighed, "I said it, but I'm not even sure if I meant it."

"At least you said it, by the time I came clean to Thalia, it was already too late."

Percy was confused, "So…how do you know when you mean it?"

"I don't know, I guess it's a kind of burning itching sensation, but, you know, in a good way."

"So are you saying if you confessed to Thalia earlier you two would be together?"

Luke chuckled, "Maybe, maybe not. Maybe she would have said 'Thank you.'" Percy smiled. "The point is it's not some law or equation. You can't predict the outcome."

"If I go through with it, then how do you know if it'll work out? You'll be destroyed."

"Because what you get before it ends, no matter how it ends, can be pretty worth it."

~O~

Annabeth was having a hard time making Clarisse and Thalia work together in offence. It was Zeus, Athena, Hephaestus and Ares versus Poseidon, Apollo, Aphrodite and Hermes. Percy's sudden appearance just made everything better, not.

He rushed to her. He hadn't even worn his armor and Capture the Flag was beginning in five minutes.

"What are you doing here Percy? You're supposed to be ready."

He walked up to her, "I don't love you."

_Did I hear you right? _"What?"

"I wanted to prove that I could take the initiative in the romance department. But I took it a little too far."

"So you don't love me?"

"No," Annabeth looked down at her converse shoes. Percy realized it came out wrong. "I mean, not yet. Well maybe I do. I don't know, I'm not sure." Annabeth looked at him, "Look, here's what I do know; I want an experience that I won't trade anything for, and I want that experience to be with you."

Annabeth's cheeks flushed, "Thank you." _Not again_, "I mean, me too." She tiptoed and kissed him. "But this doesn't mean that I'll let you win, Seaweed brain."

"I'll win with my wits thank you." I said haughtily.

~O~

Unfortunately, I did lose to Annabeth in the end, but I didn't take it personally. Later we agreed to meet up our secret location; the beach. We were lying on the ground, our hands on the backs of our heads, looking up at the sky.

"I love blue food."

"I love the Arc de Triumph."

"I love the beach."

"I love the applied thermodynamics in the Eiffel tower."

_What? _"I love nachos."

She turned to me, smiling, "I might love you."

"I might love you too."


End file.
